If you take the time to read what follows you’re taking a chance. You may discover, by the end, inspiration or boredom. But there’s the risk. The risk we take in life.
The risk to win. The risk to lose.
I write this on reflection of many things over the years but heightened by our current realities and the great barrier of uncertainty. That moment we freeze and decide to carry on or turn back. The guarantee of where we came from or the tumbling dice on the trail we blaze. The choices, at times, loom large. But there’s an inherent trait that leads one to this point. Curiosity. Courage. Carelessness. Carefulness. Contempt. Compassion. Contemplation. Confusion. Did we inherit our will to press on or turn back, or did we create it?
If you’ve gotten this far, you at least know you’re bound to succeed in everything you do. Why? Because no matter if you find wisdom or ramblings, value or waste in what I’ve written, you took the chance. You can’t win if you don’t lose. And you can do neither if you don’t pursue the chance at both. Provide me the chance. That’s what I want. To win or (as in most cases to lose) but in that chance,and in that loss, I can find the window to succeed. To this point of time. So much has changed in so little time. Unforeseen (specifically) but nonetheless it’s here. When I decided to return to running at 45 I set some very specific goals. I encouraged others setting any goals to make them public. Otherwise they are just secrets. Benchmarks you can pretend you never set. The public proclamation helps you to be accountable. Not to others. To yourself. Set a plan. Believe in the plan.
Belief and total Confidence in your plan will lead to discipline.
Discipline will ensure success. Now at 46, the goals outlined, plan set, belief at maximum volume, discipline of accumulated years of experience. The perfect storm in the eye of a much bigger storm. Every single event that represented steps to the final objective cancelled. It appears as though I will not achieve my goals for this year. Disappointed...yes. Devastated...No. because there it was....the choice. The choice back at 45 to start down this road of win or lose. The chance to try on my own efforts would have been great, but then you realize that wasn’t the journey. The journey was preparing as though the chance was there. This feels a lot like a loss. A failure. And that’s not a bad thing. I don’t like it. But that’s motivating. What more could I ask for? I’ve always believed that we don’t lack motivation but rather an objective worth our efforts, our intellect, our time, our resources. Find that objective or goal and the motivation that lies in all of us will awaken. What better motivator than the goal of rising from the ashes of disappointment? My experience can not compare to those facing Olympic dreams and consequential postponement. But my belief remains the same. You are here. At the end of this message. Winners. Winners because you risked something to get here. It matters not if the risk or reward is grand or minute. The same people will make the same choice-forge on or turn back. We can’t always control what goes on around us. The world is proving that with exclamation points right now. But we can always chose how we respond to it.
If you’re here. Right now. You’re not alone. We are a goal driven army. A new day will dawn. A new summit will emerge from the clouds and we will once again be given the choice of status quo or status GO. If you’re here right now, I know which one you will chose.
A posse ad esse (from possibly to actuality)
Be prepared when opportunity knocks!!
We may be in this for a while but we’re in this together.
#goaldrivenarmy
